Until last week, I had a 57" Sony, rear-screen projection and loved it. It lasted approx. 6 years; repairs on bulbs, etc., were pretty much cost-prohibitive. (It has 3 bulbs, and to replace them, it's fairly pricey.)

That mine only lasted 6 years isn't at all indicative of how long one can last; I know several people and theirs are still up-n-running just fine.

I now have a 47" Philips, and my opinion of it isn't very favorable - at this point. If it's not the set that has something wrong, it could be that the TV is ahead of the technology on older Dish and dish receivers. The are upgrades available for the Dish and components yet Dish people have told me to make several calls to diff. departments to get the best deal.